$3,500,000 Settlement – Motor Vehicle Collision Involving Drunk Driver
In August 2012, a drunk driver slammed into our clients’ F-250 on Interstate 85 in Atlanta. The truck driver and the company that owned the truck only carried $500,000 of insurance. Through its investigation, Shiver Hamilton Campbell learned the company had significant assets and property. The drunk driver was not on the clock for the company when the wreck occurred and the company denied any responsibility for the wreck. The company was sued on a theory that it negligently entrusted the vehicle to the drunk driver. In Georgia, a plaintiff must prove that the owner had actual knowledge of the driver’s dangerous driving propensities, which the company also denied. After litigating the case for a year and sending subpoenas for documents, Shiver Hamilton Campbell found evidence that the company paid six speeding tickets for the driver. After this evidence came to light, the company paid $3,000,000 of its own money to avoid a trial.
